Alex's Birthday

Last Saturday was Alex's birthday. Since we've been in Arizona, birthday celebrations have been a bit more low-key, partly because of the heat (we're all born in the summer) and partly because our back yard is so small. Under those conditions, it's hard to have a bunch of kids over for parties like we did in Florida.

So for Alex's 8th birthday, he invited a friend over, Andy. Andy is one of Alex's best friends at school, but until now we've been unable to get them together for a playdate. So it was a special treat for Alex to get to spend the day with Andy.

It's our tradition that on someone's birthday, they get to pick whatever they want for their birthday meal. We decided to make lunch the big meal of the day. Alex wanted Papa John's pizza.


After lunch, I took the kids to Jeepers, an indoor playground kind of place that has carnival-type rides. I took Alex there last year for his birthday, and he wanted to go there again this year. They have little trains, a merry-go-round, bumper cars, and various other rides that go round and make you dizzy.



Best part is it's all indoors! Even though it's getting a little cooler as we head into September, it's still too hot to do stuff outside comfortably.

When we got home, Cristina had baked some birthday brownies and made Alex his own birthday candle.


The day was finished off with Cristina and Alex taking Andy home. And I watched the Gators beat Miami, which hasn't happened since the mid-80's!

The next day, we took Alex to Brilliant Sky and let him pick out a birthday gift. He chose an aquarium-like thing in which you raise "Aquasaurs," little shrimp-like fish. Kind of like Sea Monkeys, but different. And we also got him a Klutz book that teaches you how to fold up a dollar bill into cool shapes, like a ring, or a bow-tie.

Journey to Perfection

High school/college years: ramen noodles...you know, the 18 cent per pack kind, were a main staple in my diet. They're quick. They're tasty. They're relatively filling. They served their purpose well.

Married-with-kids years: the instant ramen all but disappeared from the pantry, although the occasional time I made them for an emergency lunch got my son addicted to them. Soon, he was able to make them himself, and it was one of his life's greatest pleasures, right up there with getting his shoes muddy and fighting with his sisters.

About 5 years ago: I heard an NPR story about ramen noodle restaurants in Japan, and how hugely popular they are. Apparently they are the Japanese equivalent of hamburger places here. There's one on every corner, they're cheap, and everybody loves them. But these are real ramen noodles, not your crappy 18 cent grocery store variety. Hmm. Interesting. I file the story away into the recesses of my brain for future retrieval.

Within the past year: My friend Dom lives in LA. He's married to a Chinese woman named L (her name is Lucinda, but her nickname is L). They like all kinds of food, but, as he shares on a blog post, he's really been into ramen noodles lately. The real kind. Hmm. Interesting.

Dom posts a link to a website that shows how to make a simple miso soup. He claims that something like this, with some ramen noodles, is becoming his favorite meal.

Last week: Dom's mom is visiting them in LA. They take her to their favorite ramen restaurant. As Dom describes the menu in his blog, the NPR story resurfaces in my mind. This time, I am prompted to action. I will make real ramen noodle soup. It will be healthy and excellent. And I will become a god in my son's eyes.

Step 1: find some real ramen noodles. Fresh. Not the fried and dehydrated little bricks of toxicity. The real thing. Cris calls me one day from a huge Chinese grocery store. I tell her to get some real ramen noodles. The clerk shows her the refrigerated case with about 100 different types. We're in business.

The noodles sat in the fridge for several days while I contemplated the next step.

I finally found the link to that miso soup tutorial. I sent Cris to the store to get the ingredients. She didn't go to the Chinese place, though, she went to Sunflower, a health store. She got miso paste, tofu, green onions, and dried seaweed in rectangles, like for sushi. But she didn't get dashi, a soup base made with kelp and fish. She got some kind of fish sauce. Hmm. I would have to improvise.

I decided to use some other seaweed that we had. It was stringy, almost noodle-like. Using chicken broth instead of dashi, I make my first batch of miso ramen soup.



It was pretty. It was fresh. And I'm sure it was healthy. Alex liked the noodles. Bella liked the tofu. And even though we all ate a bowlful...it just wasn't that great. The seaweed was too hair-like and the chicken broth just tasted weird with the miso.

Everyone started out pretty positive, but when it came time for another bowl, or to make lunches for the next day, no one wanted more. First attempt: failure. Not a complete disaster, but still a failure.

I shared my struggles with Dom via email. He was supportive, but didn't offer any concrete advice. I wasn't ready to give up, but I was at a roadblock.

Then, today, a box came in the mail from LA. When I saw who it was addressed from, I asked Cristina "What would Dom be sending us?" I opened it up...


Seaweed, sesame, dried green onions, chili powder, two packages of dashi...

...and some cookie-type things called Moomin biscuits!

What a friend!

This weekend...attempt #2! I will cook ramen noodle soup!

Stay tuned...

Alex knits at school, so here's a video of the best of both worlds!

The Six Steps

When Sofia was young and had weaned, about 3 or 4, I would lay down with her every night till she fell asleep. Sometimes she would have a hard time settling down and falling asleep. I told her it's actually very easy to fall asleep if you just do certain things. I came up with 5 things, to be exact. If you did all 5, you were sure to fall asleep pretty quickly. Pretty soon, she would ask for me to say the Five Steps when she was trying to fall asleep. Eventually, she added a sixth step. The sixth step didn't seem to make as much sense, because you technically don't do it until you've fallen asleep. But she was adamant about adding it. And she always said it with such comfort and joy that I knew it was an important step to her. So it stuck. Even today, I still say it the same way she used to say it.

Anyway, Bella is now at that age, and she often asks for the Six Steps when she's trying to fall asleep. They're nothing revolutionary, but here they are. If you have trouble falling asleep, feel free to try them:

Step 1: Close your eyes.

Step 2: Be very still.

Step 3: Be very quiet.

Step 4: Take deep breaths.

Step 5: Think happy thoughts.

Step 6: is to DREEEAAMM...

Pic of the Day

I'm trying to stay on a roll and post more frequently. I'll keep today's short and post a picture that I thought was funny.

Back to work

Tuesday. I'm back at work. I got almost everything done on my list over the weekend (didn't get to the mail baskets) and even got something that wasn't on my list: a cold. I must have gotten it from Mary's blog. That's what happens when you don't wash your hands after reading someone else's blog.

Oh, I thought of 2 more things that needed to be on my list: wash the dog and cut my hair. The dog got washed, but my hair didn't get cut. Hey, that's till 10 things done from a list of 12. Not bad.

By the way, the Gators won 56 to 10, I got 4 new books for my classroom library, the Turkish food was good, but not as good as last time, and Hamlet 2 was funny. And I did get popcorn and Coke, even after the all-you-can-eat Turkish food. Sometimes you just gotta say "why not."

We got the twin bed out of our room yesterday (that should have been on my list too!) and Bella seemed fine with the idea of now permanently sharing a room with Alex. Although she still came into our bed at 2 am...complaining of hunger! Good thing we keep a supply of cereal by our bed.

I didn't sleep well last night, due to my stuffy nose (and perhaps a 4-year-old in my bed crunching Kashi) so I feel pretty crappy at work today. Just gotta make it through 2 more periods then I can go home and chill. I'm hoping I'll sleep better tonight.

Weekend goals

As I wrap up another very full and tiring week, it's time to make a list of my weekend goals. Thankfully, it's a 3-day weekend, and it couldn't come at a better time.

1. Family night. Probably pizza and a movie. We have a DVD called "Amazing Caves" which we heard about at the rock and gem museum in Asheville. Maybe we'll watch that.

2. Gator football. Florida vs. Hawaii, 9:30 am Saturday. Alex and I will drive to Maloney's in Scottsdale to watch our third national championship season kickoff (how's that for a prediction?)

3. Shopping in Mesa. Cristina wants to go to a clothes swap to trade some old clothes for, well, different old clothes. As long as she brings back far less than she takes, I'm happy. And it doesn't cost anything. While in Mesa, I'm going to swing by Bookmans, a big used bookstore, and try to trade some old books. Hopefully I can find some new books for my classroom library. Hmm, the only Krispy Kreme in the state of Arizona is in Mesa. Hmm...

4. Turkish buffet. When we first moved to Phoenix, we had some Turkish neighbors. They had two sons about the same age as Sofia and Alex, and we struck up a nice relationship. The Phoenix Turkish Association puts on a big buffet dinner to raise money a couple of times a year. We love Turkish food, so any time we get invited, we go! All-you-can-eat, home-cooked Turkish food...I can't wait!

5. Movie with Peter. Hamlet 2. Saturday night. Not sure if I'll have room for popcorn and Coke after pigging out on Turkish food, but I'll waddle across that bridge when I get to it.

6. Cut the grass.

7. Catch up on laundry.

8. Shampoo downstairs carpet.

9. Change sofa cover.

10. Sort and process mail basket.

As you can see, the first half of my list is far more interesting. But the second half is kind of nice, too. I actually like those kinds of days where we have a big breakfast and then work around the house, everybody chipping in, listening to NPR... Cristina probably has more things to add to the list, but if I get all 10 done, I'll be pretty satisfied.

Update

Cristina reminded me last night that it has been far too long since I've posted, and she's right. There's quite a bit of stuff to update everyone on, so I'll try to hit the major things.

The New School Year

I'm into my fourth week with students and so far this is my best year yet as an English teacher. Nothing quite compares to the peak of my TV Production years (97-04)...those are still my fondest years of teaching...but this is my 6th year as an English teacher, and so far so good.

My kids are great, I feel comfortable and effective teaching reader's/writer's workshop, and I'm really enjoying what I do every day.

Oh, and I found out a couple of weeks ago that the classes I've been taking at the community college may allow me to move over one column in the salary schedule. So that's a nice bonus. Literally and figuratively!

Sleeping Arrangements

I know that's a funny subtitle, but just read on. Though we have a 4 bedroom house, the 4th bedroom has been used as a computer room/guest room. Since our kids have slept in our room for the first 4 or 5 years of their lives, it hasn't been an issue to only use 3 rooms. Well, Bella turned 4 this summer, and more importantly, she slept in a room with her brother for a good chunk of the summer (a few weeks in Florida and a few weeks in North Carolina). That test turned out pretty well, so this past weekend, we shuffled beds. We put the twin bed that had been beside our king in Sofia's room. We put the trundle bed that had been in Sofia's room in Alex's room. And Alex's bed is now (temporarily) in our bedroom. So now, we can pull the trundle out in Alex's room and Bella can sleep in there with him.

Photo taken last night of actual children sleeping. In case you're wondering, that's a sheepskin Bella is sleeping on. She's slept on it since she was about a month old.

While Bella makes this transition, we'll keep a twin bed in our room. The first night after the switch (Sunday) she slept in Alex's room with no problems. Alex likes it too because it means I get to lay down with both of them (usually I just lay down with Bella). But last night, she wanted to be back in our room. So we worked out a compromise. She can alternate rooms each night for a week, and then she'll just be in Alex's room after that. To solidify this choice, I'm ready to get rid of the twin in our room next weekend. Cristina had thought about keeping it for the occasional sick kid or whatnot, but I think it's got to go. I'll be glad to have the extra room in our bedroom anyway.

I know this may all sound a bit strange to anyone who has parented differently, but it's the way we do it. It works for us. The first two kids transitioned to their own room with the arrival of a new baby. Of course, that leads to my next point, which is the reason why Isabella is moving in with Alex...

New Baby

You may or may not remember that I had a vasectomy over a year ago. They said there is a slim chance that the vasectomy won't completely work. But mine has worked just fine. Sorry to mislead you! I thought I would liven up the post after such a long dry paragraph about beds and stuff.

Seriously, a new baby had been the impetus for solo sleeping the first two times around, but with Bella we're charting new territory. We're moving her because we just think she's ready and the time is right. It's nice to be able to do stuff in our room in the evenings after the kids are in bed, like put clothes away, read, or (gasp) watch a little TV! Although after 12 years of little-to-no TV in our bedroom, having a TV on in the bedroom kind of makes it feel like a hotel room. Weird.

Our Closet

If you've read this far, and you're wondering why in the world I would be including something about our closet in an update, then you know why I haven't blogged in so long. When taken at face value, the stuff going on in my life doesn't seem very significant. But I'll let you arrive at your own conclusions as to significance. This past weekend, Cristina finally weeded out a lot of clothes that were taking up space and not being worn. She's revamped her wardrobe a lot since starting her new job, so she's getting rid of older, out-of-fashion clothes that she doesn't wear. That and her nursing clothes.

Cristina's New Job

Over the summer, Cristina was hired by Desert Marigold School (where Alex and Bella go) as one of the Kindergarten assistants. She's working with Emily, who was Bella's playgroup teacher last year. Bella happens to be in her class again this year (Waldorf schools combine preschool and Kindergarten) which means she's in preschool with Cristina, 5 days a week. Cristina had hoped that Bella could be in a different class, for a little more independence, but this is how things have worked out. So far I think it's been okay. The money Cristina makes will pay for Bella's preschool (K-8 is free, but preschool is tuition-based) and give us a little extra for other expenses. Cristina is definitely more tired now, working about 28 hours a week, and the laundry has backed up considerably, attesting to just how much Cristina did in the laundry department. But we all have to adjust and help out more. Last night Sofia washed a load by herself. We're getting there.

College Courses

To continue to defer our staggering mountain of student loans, I am again enrolled half time in community college courses. This fall I'm taking a class on Structured English Immersion, which every teacher in Arizona has to do by August 2009 (I've put it off until now). To round out my 6 hours, I decided to take something easy: an online class called "Introduction to Cinema." When I told my buddy, Peter, about it, he said "you could probably teach that class." I said, "I did teach that class!" Teaching film studies at Gainesville High School is still one of my fondest teaching memories...

That's about all I can think of right now. There's probably more, but I'll go ahead and post this and add another post when I remember more stuff.